Register Today for Women Innovators Conference

Innovate For Impact

• Women Innovators Conference
• November 14, 2018
• University of Minnesota

The third annual Women Innovators Conference is a professional development summit designed to help female innovators connect the dots between their ideas and achieving a positive, significant impact. This event will inspire, inform, and connect women students, faculty and professionals. Free for students!

Academic, business and nonprofit women leaders will speak about:
❖ Communicating and influencing
❖ Pursuing your own definition of success
❖ Succeeding in a male-dominated field

Register HERE

Value Proposition Design Workshops - Fall 2018

Explore market and commercialization opportunities for your innovation.

Three workshop series to choose from:

Science & Engineering: 1-4pm Oct 4th, 18th, Nov 1^st, 15th - East Bank campus

Medical: 1-4pm Oct 10th, 17th, 31th & Nov 7th - East Bank campus

Ag, Biotech & Environment: 10:00-1:00 Oct 12th, 19th, Nov 2^nd, 16th - St. Paul campus

All programs cover the following, with field-specific case studies:

Session 1: ​Product-Market Fit
Session 2: Customer Discovery
Session 3: Commercialization Pathway 
Session 4: Market Assessment

Registration info at https://mincorps.umn.edu/programs#VPD

The four-session Value Proposition Design Workshops  are designed for University of Minnesota students, staff and faculty interested in exploring the commercialization potential of specific innovations, typically out of University labs. University and regional startups are also welcome to participate. MIN-Corps grants (up to $3,000) are available to University participants for customer research. Successful completion can lead to nomination to the national I-Corps Teams program, which includes a $50,000 customer research grant.

Summer Value Proposition Design Workshop - Registration Open

Explore potential markets and develop a commercialization plan

Registration is open for the MIN-Corps Value Proposition Design Workshop for STEM-driven venture concepts. This non-credit program will take place at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, and is available at no charge for UMN students, staff and faculty, and for a fee to non-UMN entrepreneurs. Industry experts will be available to assist participants in mapping out a commercialization approach specific to their own technologies. The four-session, hands-on series will cover:

• June 13th : ​Product-Market Fit

• June 27th : Customer Discovery

• July 11th : Commercialization Pathway 

• July 18th: Market Assessment

Click here for more information and to register.

Startup Competition Deadlines & Seminars

Opportunities to take an innovation-based startup to the next level!

Competitions:

-- Walleye Tank:  Apply by April 13 to pitch a health care/life science business idea.  Both Junior Angler (student) and Professional divisions.

-- MN Cup: Apply by April 27th to the largest statewide startup competition - $500,000 in cash prizes. Divisions: Education & Training, Energy/Clean Tech/Water, Food/Ag/Beverage, General, High Tech, Life Science/Health IT, Impact Ventures, Students (undergrad and grad), Youth (18 and younger).

-- Clean Tech Open: Apply by May 1 to the oldest and largest clean tech startup accelerator program.

Seminars:

• Early Stage Startup Funding: Register here for the April 10 session.
• Raising Capital for Emerging Education Businesses: Register here for the April 10 session.
• MNCup Virtual Q&A Chat:  Register here for the April 13 session.
• MNCup 101 at University Enterprise Labs:  Register here for the April 19 session.
• Using a Venture Competition to Advance your Startup:  Register here for the April 25 session.

Making Sustainability Pay - March 28, 2017

The Search for Viable Business Models in Clean Tech

March 28 - 5-7 pm

Carlson School of Management

Register here

This event will bring together experts and entrepreneurs to share perspectives on how to succeed with sustainable technologies.

Keynote:  Ian Adams from Clean Energy Trust will discuss business trends and opportunities in environmental sustainability. Clean Energy Trust's mission is to partner with innovators to bring scientific and technological advancements to market that change how the world generates, consumes and reuses energy and natural resources.  Its seed fund has invested in over 33 startups, which have then gone on to raise over $100 million in follow-on funding.

Panel Discussion:  Developing viable business models based on green technologies

• Christoph Krumm - Sironix Renewables
• John Griffin - TerraCOH
• Shannon Schlecht - AURI, the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute
• Michelle Bellanca - Executive-in-Residence for the Abbas Biosensors and Bionanotechnology Lab
• Ian Adams - Clean Energy Trust

Moderator: Kirk Froggatt, Technological Leadership Institute

Register here

This event is organized by MIN-Corps, the Office for Technology Commercialization, and the Institute on the Environment, with additional support from the Technological Leadership Institute and the 3M Technology Commercialization Education Fund.

MIN-Corps Results After 3.5 Years